Iran-backed Houthi terrorists threatened Friday to target Israeli civilian airlines after the latest attack by Israeli forces destroyed the last plane used by the group at Sanaa International Airport in Yemen’s capital.
The Houthis have launched 42 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel since the Israeli military resumed its offensive against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip on March 18, The Times of Israel reported.
On May 4, a Houthi-fired missile reached the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, prompting most foreign carriers to suspend their flights to Israel and raising Israel’s dependence on El Al, as well as the smaller carriers Arkia and Israir.
The Houthis’ new threat to target Israeli civilian airplanes came after Israeli fighter jets bombed the Houthi-controlled airport Wednesday following weeks of near-daily ballistic missile attacks on Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the targeted plan was the last operated by the Houthis after six other aircraft were destroyed by an earlier Israeli military strike, The Times of Israel reported. The Houthis have since asserted that the targeted aircraft was being used to conduct medical evacuations to Jordan.
Houthi sources told the Lebanese media outlet Al-Akhbar that “upcoming operations will differ in quantity and substance from the previous operations” against Israel and will see the group “add civilian aircraft belonging to the Israeli entity to the list of targets,” The Times of Israel reported.
It is not known whether the Houthis have the weapons to make good on their threat, but in recent months, they have shot down at least seven MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the group reportedly said it had obtained new weapons capable of enforcing an “aerial blockade” on Israel. Iran is believed to be the main supplier of weapons to the Houthis.
The Houthis have been waging persistent missile and drone attacks against commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea since Hamas’ terrorist attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s military response in Gaza.
From November 2023 until January, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two and killing four sailors, The Times of Israel reported. That greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually.
The Houthis halted their attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the terror group in mid-March. President Donald Trump called off the campaign in early May, saying that the Houthis had pledged to stop attacking ships along the trade route. The agreement did not include stopping attacks on Israel.
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